Lynne Olson

American journalist, historian, and author best known for narrative histories of World War II and 20th-century diplomacy.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Citizens Of London

    The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour

    A richly researched narrative that follows three Americans living in London during the 1930s and World War II—an outspoken ambassador, a resourceful diplomat/financier, and a pioneering radio correspondent—and shows how their personalities, relationships with British leaders, and efforts to influence public opinion and policy helped sustain Britain through the Blitz and helped bind Anglo‑American ties at a moment of existential danger.

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  2. 2. The Sisterhood Of Ravensbrück

    Bravery, Friendship, and Resistance in Nazi Germany
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  3. 4. Madame Fourcade's Secret War

    A gripping biography of Marie‑Madeleine Fourcade, who led the Alliance intelligence network in occupied France and organized daring espionage that funneled crucial information to the Allies. It traces her recruitment and management of a wide, mostly male, spy ring, the constant threat of betrayal and capture, and the fraught relations with British and Free French intelligence, showing the moral ambiguities and heavy personal costs of clandestine work. Based on extensive archives and interviews, the narrative emphasizes her resilience and leadership and the often-overlooked but vital role her network played in undermining the German occupation.

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  4. 5. Last Hope Island

    Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood that Helped Turn the Tide of War

    A tightly researched narrative of how Britain functioned as a refuge for people fleeing Nazi Europe in the late 1930s and early 1940s, exploring the clash between humanitarian impulses and restrictive immigration laws, the work of private relief groups and diplomats, the fraught transatlantic relationship with an often reluctant United States, and the experiences of refugees—children on rescue transports, professionals and artists, and those interned or turned away—while illuminating the moral, political, and diplomatic dilemmas that left many vulnerable despite efforts to save them.

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  5. 6. Those Angry Days

    Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939–1941

    Set in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the book traces the clash between British leaders forced to choose between appeasement and resistance and American leaders constrained by powerful isolationist sentiment, focusing on Winston Churchill’s warnings about Nazism and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quiet campaign to shift U.S. policy from neutrality to active support—through covert measures and the eventual Lend-Lease program; it chronicles the political and public battles (Chamberlain’s appeasement, the rise of America First and isolationist figures, journalists and activists shaping opinion) and shows how backroom diplomacy, personal relationships, and moral urgency transformed two democracies into allies against Hitler, all rendered with vivid archival detail and compelling portraits of the key players.

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  6. 7. A Question Of Honor

    The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II
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